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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/24758767">Head in the Clouds</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mntsnflrs/pseuds/Mntsnflrs'>Mntsnflrs</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>NCT (Band)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Alternate Universe - Roommates/Housemates, Fake/Pretend Relationship, M/M, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, only child johnny not understanding how scary an older sister can be: the fic</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-06-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-06-16</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-04 06:15:39</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Mature</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,783</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/24758767</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mntsnflrs/pseuds/Mntsnflrs</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>"Your sister is visiting for dinner, you’re not sitting an exam. You need to chill.”</p><p>“She can always tell when I’m lying.” Taeyong groaned, tugging at his hair. He checked his shirt again and found it looking exactly the same as it had two minutes ago, the last time he’d paused in front of the mirror to freak out. “Why aren’t you worried, huh?”</p><p>Johnny shrugged, looking back down at his phone. “Why should I worry? It’s not my sister I’m lying to.”</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Lee Taeyong/Suh Youngho | Johnny</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>50</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>641</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Head in the Clouds</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/taeyongseo/gifts">taeyongseo</a>.</li>



    </ul><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>For Taeyongseo! I hope you enjoy it sweetheart. Sending you my love! xo</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>“I can do this,” Taeyong told himself. “I can do this.” He turned to Johnny. “I can do this right?”</p><p>Johnny looked up from his phone, sprawled across their couch in his nicest jeans per Taeyong’s request. “Sure you can.”</p><p>“I can,” Taeyong agreed. He started pacing again. “So why am I freaking out so much?”</p><p>“I really have no idea. Your sister is visiting for dinner, you’re not sitting an exam. You need to chill.”</p><p>“She can always tell when I’m lying.” Taeyong groaned, tugging at his hair. He checked his shirt again and found it looking exactly the same as it had two minutes ago, the last time he’d paused in front of the mirror to freak out. “Why aren’t you worried, huh?”</p><p>Johnny shrugged, looking back down at his phone. “Why should I worry? It’s not my sister I’m lying to.”</p><p>“Johnny!”</p><p>He put his phone in his pocket, gaze droll as he opened his arms and let Taeyong drop into his lap. “You need to calm down, Tae. It’s dinner. What’s the worst that could happen?”</p><p>He was so naïve. Such an only child. So blissfully ignorant of what it meant to have an older sibling realise you were lying. The wrath was unimaginable. If Taeyeon realised Johnny was attending dinner because he was one of Taeyong’s housemates and not because they were happily dating, she would kill them both, and even worse, she’d begin periodically emailing Taeyong about the dates she’d arranged for him without asking. He didn’t <em>want</em> to date. He was shy, and strangers made him uncomfortable. It had taken him almost a year to forge a friendship with Yuta when they’d moved in together, and Johnny had been even longer due to his sheer size alone. The way he towered in doorways had shaken Taeyong to his core, and for the first few months he’d lived solely within the confines of his own room.</p><p>That was before he’d realised what a sweet dork Johnny was. Behind the body proportions of Hercules, Johnny had a penchant for playing his seventies playlists too loud while he cooked, singing terribly enough that the neighbours complained. He liked to leave dishes in the sink and throw a hand towel over them in the hopes that somehow Taeyong wouldn’t notice. He liked to drag his friends to Ikea so that they could buy matching stuffed toys and eat meatballs. He was a good friend. </p><p>The greatest friend, really. Only the best would agree to dinner with Taeyeon under the pretence of being Taeyong’s boyfriend. Only someone with a heart of gold would face Taeyong’s elder sister just for the sake of Taeyong’s family worrying their youngest was going to die alone in a pile of books and dog fur. </p><p>“She’ll be here soon, right?” Johnny asked, stroking a hand through Taeyong’s hair. “You need to breathe, Taeyong. She’s not going to believe us if you’re blue in the face.”</p><p>He released the breath he hadn’t known he was holding. “I’m so nervous,” he said. He looked at Johnny’s calm eyes and felt a little more grounded, but just the thought of Taeyeon’s gentle evisceration was enough to send him wheezing again. “She’s terrifying,” Taeyong admitted. “She knew I was gay years before I did. She knew our aunt was having an affair with the guy that delivered her compost. She knew Yuta had his dick pierced before he offered to show her last time she visited us. She knows <em>everything,</em> Johnny.”</p><p>Johnny hummed, stroking a hand through Taeyong’s hair again. “But she’s never met me, she has nothing to base assumptions off. She won’t know if I’m faking.”</p><p>“But she knows me,” Taeyong said, pathetically small. He covered his face with his hands and groaned, loud and pained. “She’s so small and scary.”</p><p>“She’s your sister.”</p><p>“Yeah, and she already has enough ammunition to potentially ruin my life, I don’t need to give her more!”</p><p>Johnny threw up his hands. “This was your idea! I wanted to stay in my room and play Animal Crossing, but you begged me to come out and pretend to be your boyfriend, and now you’re dumping me before she even gets here?”</p><p>Taeyong put his head on Johnny’s shoulder. “I’m sorry,” he murmured, suddenly defeated. “Maybe you should just go back to your room and I’ll tell her I lied about having a boyfriend.” It meant that she’d ring their parents and Taeyong would receive another concerned letter about his ‘isolated spirit,’ but that might be for the best. Maybe he did need to put himself out there instead of bullying his housemate into a fake date with his sister.</p><p>Johnny just laughed. “In the past ten minutes I think I’ve seen you go through all five stages of grief. You’re really muddled, huh?”</p><p>Taeyong nodded, breathing in the scent of Johnny’s fresh shirt. Whatever detergent he used smelt so good, like honeysuckle and fresh mornings. </p><p>“Just follow my lead okay?” Johnny asked, squeezing Taeyong’s waist. “This isn’t my first rodeo; I know what to do.”</p><p>Taeyong lifted his head, brows furrowing. “This isn’t your first fake relationship?”</p><p>“Nope.”</p><p>“Who…”</p><p>“Doyoung, don’t you remember?”</p><p>Taeyong’s eyes widened. “That was why Jaehyun got all weird at Taeil’s party?”</p><p>“Yeah. Doyoung wanted to make Jaehyun jealous.”</p><p>“Oh.” It had been weird, sure, but everyone in their friendship group could be considered weird to some extent. Besides, Taeyong hadn’t been living with Johnny long enough at that point to outright question his hand on Doyoung’s ass, as much as it had annoyed him. It hadn’t been his place to ask Jaehyun why he’d spent the entire evening sulking, either. He hadn’t wanted to probe, so he hadn’t realised it had gone any deeper than it appeared – that Johnny’s clinging and heavy skinship was part of a bigger plan for Doyoung’s sake. “You were okay doing that?”</p><p>“Sure,” Johnny said easily. “It’s not like I had feelings for either of them. It was funny. Besides, I’ve been single for a long time, it’s not like I had anyone to make jealous, right?” </p><p>Taeyong pressed his lips together, guilt hitting him all of a sudden. “You’re sure you don’t mind doing this for me?”</p><p>“It’s fine, Taeyong,” Johnny said with a fond, somewhat resigned smile. “Just trust me, okay?”</p><p>Taeyong nodded, leaning down to hug Johnny tightly before climbing off him and checking on the food in the oven. With Johnny, trust was an easy thing to give.</p><p> </p><p>-</p><p> </p><p>When Taeyeon knocked, Taeyong allowed himself no more than a handful of seconds to wheeze before forcing a smile and swinging the door open. He didn’t even get out a greeting before Taeyeon was wrapping him up in a ferocious hug, jasmine scented and light in his arms. </p><p>“Hi honey,” she said into his hair. He could feel her smile, her warmth, her happiness at seeing him again. She’d been travelling with work for months now, and Taeyong had been so busy with college. It had been almost half a year since they’d last seen each other in person. “How are you?”</p><p>He hugged her tighter. “Better now,” he admitted. Things always seemed so much worse in the minutes before they happened, but with Taeyeon in front of him, Taeyong couldn’t remember why he’d been so worried. She was his big sister, the one who accidentally broke his thumb when he was six, the one who picked him up after his disastrous prom at sixteen. “How are you?”</p><p>“I’m well,” she said, pulling back to examine him closely. Somewhere behind him, Johnny was busy seasoning the sauce for the meat, and there was no way that Taeyeon missed her brother’s wince as the sound of a plate shattering rang through the apartment. Taeyeon’s brows slowly rose. “Is Yuta cooking?”</p><p>“God no,” Taeyong said hastily. “I wouldn’t do that to you. It’s Johnny.”</p><p>“Johnny?”</p><p>He swallowed down a scream. “My boyfriend.”</p><p>Her eyes darkened. “Ahhh, she said slowly. “The mysterious boyfriend you haven’t told our parents about. I didn’t think you’d actually go through with having him here.”</p><p>He laughed, though it came out squeaky and unconvincing. “What does that mean?”</p><p>“It means,” she said, toeing her sandals off, “That I thought he was a figment of your imagination you were using to keep me at bay.”</p><p>“I would never do that!”</p><p>She stared at him, unimpressed. “Evidently, since he’s here. Are you going to take me through and introduce us?”</p><p>Oh yeah. That’s why he’d been worried.</p><p>He hurried through to the kitchen, Taeyeon close to his heels. Whatever look he sent Johnny it must have been alarming, because Johnny’s own eyes widened as he emptied shards into the trash. “Hey,” he said, eyebrows continuing to climb. “Sorry about the noise, I frisbeed a dish again.” He wiped his hands on the kitchen towel and then offered one to Taeyeon, smiling what Yuta had fondly dubbed his ‘please give me free garlic bread with the pizza I ordered’ smile. </p><p>Taeyeon shook his hand firmly. “You must be Johnny,” she said, eying him with a polite smile. “Taeyong’s boyfriend.”</p><p>Johnny nodded. “That’s me,” he said. “Little old Johnny.”</p><p>With Johnny being neither little nor old, it wasn’t a surprise that Taeyeon didn’t look convinced. Still, she was raised the same as Taeyong, and because of that she simply nodded, still smiling. “It’s nice to meet you,” she said. “I hope for Taeyong’s sake that we can get along well.”</p><p>“Me too!” Johnny said, pleasant smile blooming into something more genuine. “Can I get you a drink?”</p><p>“No thank you,” she said, putting a gentle but firm hand on his arm. “Taeyong can get me some wine, but you can tell me all about yourself.”</p><p>“Sure,” Johnny agreed easily. He followed Taeyeon easily to the small dining table, dropping a kiss on Taeyong’s cheek as he passed. “Could you grab be a beer please?”</p><p>Taeyong nodded and tried not to faint. He poured himself and his sister some wine, took a bottle of Johnny’s favourite beer out of the fridge and poured it into a glass. He passed them their drinks, but beyond cursory thanks, they barely glanced at him, engrossed in conversation about Johnny’s Film and Literature degree. </p><p>Feeling lost but painfully grateful that Johnny seemed more than happy to chat with Taeyeon, Taeyong took up where Johnny had left in preparing their food. The rice was ready, but the meat was missing. Taeyong peered into the empty oven, perplexed.</p><p>“I already added it to the sauce,” Johnny called over. “I know you prefer the beef medium rare.”</p><p>“Oh,” Taeyong said. It was all he seemed to be saying this evening. “Thank you, Johnny.” </p><p>Johnny winked. “No problem, babe.”</p><p> </p><p>-</p><p> </p><p>Dinner itself was mostly a simple affair. The food was good, and Taeyeon spent most of the time asking Taeyong about his life, about their family, how everyone had been living while she’d been away.</p><p>“Why isn’t Yuta here?” she asked as they neared the end of the food.</p><p>“He’s visiting his parents,” Taeyong said, passing Johnny some extra meat from his own plate. Johnny picked it up with his chopsticks, blowing Taeyong a kiss before shovelling it into his mouth.</p><p>“And the spare room? Did you ever find someone to fill it?”</p><p>If it were Taeyong eating the extra meat, he would have choked it back up and spat it across the table. Apparently a much stronger man, Johnny kept chewing and eyed Taeyong expectantly. </p><p>“Uh… yeah,” Taeyong said. “He’s one of Yuta’s friends though, you wouldn’t know him.”</p><p>“Is he nice, at least?” she asked, frowning. “I hate it when you let people that aren’t me walk all over you.” She looked at Johnny. “I’m sure you know what I mean. Taeyong has a long history of letting fear win.”</p><p>Johnny grinned, shaking his head. “Don’t worry, I wouldn’t let anyone push him around.”</p><p>Taeyeon held his gaze for just slightly too long to be anything other than a threat. Eventually, she smiled. “Good.” She picked up the last of her rice. “Now tell me how the two of you met, I want the full love story.”</p><p>Taeyong laughed, nervous again, but before he could open his mouth and fuck everything up, Johnny squeezed his knee beneath the table and sent him a small smile.</p><p>“D’you mind if I tell the story?” he asked.</p><p>Taeyong shook his head, silent.</p><p>Johnny squeezed his knee again, either a thank you or a well done. Whatever it was, it made Taeyong blush, gazing down at his empty plate. They were always this touchy, but it felt different when it was a performance. It felt like <em>more. </em></p><p>“We met officially around a year ago, I think,” Johnny said. “But we got closer about six months ago due to a change in routine.” He glanced at Taeyong, gaze warm before he looked back to Taeyeon, who was finishing her wine, watching them both. “To be honest, I think I fell much earlier than Taeyong. He kind of floats along in his own head most of the time, and despite my best efforts, I could never get him to notice me.”</p><p>Taeyeon hummed. “He’s always had his head in the clouds,” she said fondly. She grabbed Taeyong’s hand over the table and rubbed her thumb over his knuckles. “So hard working but so absent,” she joked. She looked back at Johnny. “What changed?”</p><p>Johnny laughed, a rosy blush dusting his cheeks. “Ah, it’s kind of embarrassing,” he said, rubbing the back of his neck. “Have you met Doyoung and Jaehyun?”</p><p>She nodded. “Briefly, but yes. Doyoung is the one with the shoulders?”</p><p>“Yeah,” Taeyong said, happy to finally have something to add. “Jaehyun is the one you kept calling Dimples.”</p><p>“Cute,” Taeyeon said. Her eyes narrowed. “What do they have to do with this story?”</p><p>Johnny leaned back in his chair, still blushing but still smiling. “Doyoung had been mooning over Jaehyun for as long as I’ve known them both,” he said. “He was complaining about it one evening, and I was complaining about how nice Taeyong was without even realising where he was. It’s like he didn’t see me at all, you know? So we agreed to fake date at a party to make Jaehyun and Taeyong jealous.”</p><p>Taeyong peered at him. Johnny seemed pretty confident lying so blatantly. If he weren’t so proud, he’d probably be shocked, since Johnny was known as one of the worst bluffers in their group. Whenever they played poker and he had an ace, he giggled. </p><p>Taeyeon had her head resting on her hands, smiling softly. “Did it work?”</p><p>Johnny shook his head. “Jaehyun sulked all night, and I don’t think Taeyong even noticed. I had to remind him of it earlier today, actually. It obviously didn’t have much of an impact.”</p><p>“What did, then?”</p><p>Johnny smiled at Taeyong. “I don’t know,” he said. “I guess one day he managed to clear the clouds from his head and see me waiting for him.”</p><p>“Sweet,” Taeyeon said quietly, though Taeyong could barely hear her through the ringing in his ears. “You seem like a great guy, Johnny. I’m glad I got to meet you.”</p><p>“Thank you,” he said, ducking his head. “I’m glad to meet you too. Taeyong talks about you all of the time, about how much you mean to him and how much he looks up to you. He’s been so excited to have you back in the country.”</p><p>Her smile widened, eyes going so soft when they landed on Taeyong’s. “I’ve missed you too, my lonely little brother,” she said. “I’m glad you have friends around you. I’m glad you have people like Johnny to stop you from floating away.”</p><p>Johnny put his arm over Taeyong’s shoulder. “Don’t worry,” he said. “I’ll hold tight.”</p><p>Taeyeon nodded. Her phone chimed, and she pulled it out of her pocket, smiling at whatever message she had received. “I have to go,” she said. “I’m sorry for leaving so early, but now that I’m more local, we could do this more often. Next time we visit grandma and grandpa you should bring Johnny, Tae. Grandpa would love to show off his miniature train collection.” She stood. “Thank you so much for the lovely meal. Could I borrow Taeyong long enough to walk me to my taxi?”</p><p>Johnny nodded, standing immediately to move around the table and scoop Taeyeon into a hug. “It was great meeting you,” he said. “Thank you for treating me so kindly.”</p><p>“Thank you for being patient with Taeyong,” she replied, as if he weren’t sat right there, as if he wasn’t literally <em>right there.</em> “I know he can be hard work, but his heart is gold.”</p><p>Johnny smiled at Taeyong above her head. “I know,” he said. “I know.”</p><p>Taeyong followed his sister out of the apartment like an obedient child, too dumbstruck to talk until she stopped to murmur something to the taxi driver before turning back to him, eyes wide and expectant. “So?” she asked. “Tonight you have come to what conclusion, Lee Taeyong?”</p><p>“Johnny is in love with me,” he said, staring blindly. </p><p>“Yes, but that’s not what I’m talking about.” She smacked his shoulder. “Don’t lie to me was the answer. I can always see through you.”</p><p>“Sorry,” he said, though her ire hardly seemed significant now. Now that he knew that all the times Johnny had picked him up from a late class, had made soup when Taeyong was sick, had helped him revise, had cuddled him when he’d been worried – </p><p>Taeyeon made a disgruntled noise. “You’re so silly,” she said, pulling him close. She kissed his cheek. “Go back inside and tell him how you feel. Bring him to see grandpa’s toy trains. Invite me over again, to meet your actual boyfriend Johnny.” She kissed his cheek again, lingering and fond. “Yuta told me about Johnny last time he rang to tell me you were still remembering to eat,” she whispered into his ear. “The third roommate that followed my little brother like a lovesick puppy. Of course he told me, honey. Not everyone is as dense as you. It’s a good job you’re so lovely.” She pulled away, offering him one last wave before climbing into the taxi and pointing back to the apartment. She was driven away smiling, and Taeyong was left by himself on the cold pavement without a jacket or shoes. Not that it was anyone’s fault but his own that he’d been so dazed he’d forgotten to slip some sneakers on.</p><p>He walked back into the apartment with cold toes only to find that Johnny had already cleared away the dishes. He was in the kitchen pouring himself some more beer that he raised when he saw Taeyong had returned. </p><p>“Hey,” Johnny said. “You want some more wine?”</p><p>Taeyong nodded silently. He looked back to the clean table, then to the empty stove. As Johnny passed him a full glass, a flash of blue caught his eye. He frowned, putting the glass back onto the counter before walking over, only to find the kitchen towel hiding a suspicious lump in the sink. When he pulled it back, he found all of their used dishes piled high, yet to be washed.</p><p>He put the towel back down and looked at Johnny, who was bright red and smiling. “Oops?” he said. “I slipped and the towel must have fallen over the dishes. Funny how that happens sometimes.”</p><p><em>I wouldn’t have made you wash up,</em> Taeyong wanted to say. <em>Not after everything you’ve done for me this evening.</em> What came out instead, was, “Johnny, would you like to come with me to see my grandfather’s miniature trains?”</p><p>Johnny laughed. “I think your sister was joking when she offered that invite, Yong.”</p><p>“I don’t care,” he said, enjoying the way Johnny’s eyes widened. Good. Let it surprise him. “I’d love it if you came with me to see my grandparents.”</p><p>“Oh,” Johnny said. “If you’d like me to come then I’ll come.”</p><p>“Great.” Taeyong picked up his wine again and took a sip. “You can go and play Animal Crossing now, if you want. Babysitting duty is over. Thank you for all of your help, I really appreciate it.”</p><p>Johnny smiled. “You’re welcome. It was fun.”</p><p>“As fun as trying to make me jealous with Doyoung?” Taeyong couldn’t help but ask.</p><p>Johnny went pink, laughing nervously. “Did you like my improv?”</p><p>Now that Taeyong knew, he could see it. God, he could see it. Johnny, who for the past half a year had become someone indispensable to Taeyong, a comfort he hadn’t realised he had come to covet, a warm, loving constant whatever his days were like. However bad things got, he always had Johnny to come home to, and Johnny always had his arms open. He was always waiting for Taeyong. He always had been. </p><p>“You’re a better liar than I thought you were,” Taeyong murmured. “You really had me going for a while.”</p><p>Johnny’s smile widened. “Good. You want me to dry while you wash?”</p><p>
  <em>I want you to kiss me.</em>
</p><p>But maybe neither of them were confident enough for that yet. Maybe Taeyong needed to make it a little more obvious first. After all, Johnny could be just as clueless as Taeyong if he tried hard enough.</p><p>“Sure, that would be nice,” Taeyong said. “Do you want to go to lunch tomorrow before Yuta gets home? My treat. We can go wherever you like.”</p><p>“Wow. You sure? I could always go for some nachos, but you know they make me kind of gassy.”</p><p>
  <em>Idiot.</em>
</p><p>Was this how Johnny had always felt? He was so endearing, but Taeyong was already frustrated. The past six months must have been torture for Johnny. He deserved some effort now considering how long he had waited, how much he had been through. He deserved to wake up one night, shocked but certain that Taeyong loved him too.</p><p>“Wherever you like, Johnny,” Taeyong said. “As long as you don’t get the opportunity to hide the dishes I’ll be happy.”</p><p>Johnny grinned. “You don’t mind my annoying habits.”</p><p>How many annoying habits did Taeyong have? They must have been in the hundreds, but Johnny took them all in stride, and he still look at Taeyong like he’d hung the stars. How thick had the clouds been for him to miss this? The way Johnny’s eyes contained planets?</p><p>“I don’t mind,” Taeyong said. “As long as you don’t mind mine.”</p><p>“You know I don’t,” Johnny said.</p><p>“I know,” Taeyong said softly, turning the water on. “I know that now. I guess it’s time to prove it.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Thank you for reading! You can find me on twitter at @mntsnflrs. Kudos/comments/bookmarks always appreciated! xo</p></blockquote></div></div>
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